Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $310.37.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Rockwell Automation from $283.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Rockwell Automation from $258.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $275.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 2,500 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.13, for a total transaction of $760,325.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,033 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,166.29. The trade was a 70.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.24, for a total value of $285,681.36. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $299,067.92. The trade was a 48.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,839 shares of company stock valued at $2,014,256. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Citizens National Bank Trust Department purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Rockwell Automation Price Performance

Rockwell Automation stock traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $312.86. The stock had a trading volume of 432,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 875,764. Rockwell Automation has a one year low of $215.00 and a one year high of $314.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.32. The firm's 50 day moving average is $262.02 and its 200 day moving average is $276.71.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $2 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Rockwell Automation Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.99%.

Rockwell Automation Company Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.